FILE PHOTO: Former Republic of Ireland international Chris Hughton has had spells in charge of Newcastle, Brighton and Nottingham Forest. PICTURE: Getty Images
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0 JOHANNESBURG: Ghana finished third in Group B, having amassed only two points in three matches.
The Ghana Football Association has sacked head coach Chris Hughton following the Black Stars’ exit in the group stages of the 2023 TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Ghana finished third in Group B, having amassed only two points in three matches. Their third-place finish was not enough to see them advance as the best third-placed team following a 2-2 draw against Mozambique.
Ghana are winless in their last six AFCON matches. Therefore, they continue to sink to new lows in their football. It is certainly a low and darkest period in the history of the Black Stars. Unprecedentedly, they have been eliminated in the AFCON group stages for the second time in a row. As it stands, they have crashed out in the 2021 and 2023 editions without a win.
Prior to these latest disappointments, Ghana had last exited in the AFCON group stages in 2006. Thereafter, they made it into semi-finals of six consecutive tournaments until 2019, the year in which they were eliminated in the last 16. This could be traced as the beginning of their steady decline.
The Association dissolved to remove the 65-year-old Irishman and his technical team members.
Given the top job in March 2023, Hughton was in charge of 13 matches and just won three of them. “The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that Chris Hughton has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the senior national team with immediate effect.
The Executive Council has also taken a decision to dissolve the technical team of the Black Stars,” announced the organisation. “The Ghana Football Association will in the coming days provide a roadmap on the future direction of the Black Stars” (read full statement here).
Ghana began the tournament by suffering an upset from one of the in-form teams in the tournament, Cape Verde. The Blue Sharks shocked them 2-1. Thereafter, the Black Stars drew both their next matches against Egypt and Mozambique.
It has been a tournament of early exit by African giants. Apart from Ghana, Algeria‘s exit has already been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the hosts Ivory Coast’s chances of finishing as one of the four best third-place countries hangs on a thread as they wait for results of both Group E and F tonight to find out if they advance or not.
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